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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife crime is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time.

Wildlife crime investigations are generally covert operations requiring utmost confidentiality to succeed. Investigations and prosecutions in complex cases may take months or even years to complete. For this reason, the information that can be released to the public without compromising cases is often limited. Nonetheless, the Namibian government strives to share as much information as possible with the public.

The Namibian media has welcomed this approach and regularly publishes statistics and feature articles on wildlife crime. These are entered into the database at regular intervals, creating a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1 - 27 of 27
Saturday, 25 May 2024
2024. Trial date set for Malaysias first court case on trafficking of African Rhino horns.

The trial is set to begin this September, close to three years after the 50 pieces of horns were seized not far from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The men sprung a surprise in court today when they opted for a trial. It was a reversal of the guilty plea they had recorded at an earlier court appearance last month. Media and conservation groups gathered at court on Wednesday (24 April) had expected a penalty to be given to the two men.

Friday, 24 May 2024
Dennis P 2024. Customs intercepts 40-ft container of illegal wildlife products.

The Special Wildlife Office of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intercepted a 40-foot container of illegal wildlife products in Vietnam. Three suspects were also arrested in connection with the crime, barely six weeks after a similar seizure by Vietnam authorities. The Nigeria Customs Service, in a statement made available to newsmen, and signed by Asst. Comptroller Abimbola Isafiade, said the operation was conducted by the combined efforts of the officers of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone C, in a joint enforcement operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission, WJC…

Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Kantene N 2024. State of poaching in the Kruger National Park (Latest stats and data).
State of poaching in the Kruger National Park (Latest stats and data).
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Smit E 2024. Illegaler Handel mit Wildtieren "bleibt Immens".

Trotz Bemühungen um Eindämmung des Handels mit bedrohten Tierarten wie Elefanten geht der illegale Handel mit Wildtieren weltweit unvermindert weiter. Dies geht aus dem einem Bericht des Büros der Vereinten Nationen für Drogen- und Verbrechensbekämpfung (UNODC) hervor, der eine Bestandsaufnahme der weltweiten Anti-Wilderei- Maßnahmen enthält.

Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Smit E 2024. Illegal wildlife trade 'remains immense' - UN.

Despite progress to curtail the trafficking of iconic species such as elephants, illegal wildlife trafficking continues unabated on a global scale. This is according to the 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which takes stock of efforts to counter poaching worldwide. The report highlights that wildlife trafficking has not seen a significant enough decrease over the past two decades, prompting a call for enhanced enforcement of existing laws, including measures to combat corruption.

Friday, 17 May 2024
Babalola Y 2024. Customs arrests shipper, supplier over illegal export of Wildlife.

The Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office, over the weekend, announced the arrest of a Shipper and supplier responsible for the illegal exportation of a 40ft container of illegal Wildlife to Vietnam. It was gathered that the illegal wildlife products were intercepted and reported in Vietnam in April 2024 while the arrest of the suspects was made by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and the enforcement officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, Owerri, Imo state.

Friday, 17 May 2024
2024. Other cases relating to poaching to be joined in Brockerhoff case.
The Namibian police have reported that they have arrested five suspects in relation to an incident where a White Rhino bull was shot and killed, and its horns removed on a farm in the Gobabis district on May 4, 2024. Derick Brockerhoff, aged 47, and his co-accused Markus Rooinasie, 27, 5who are in custody after being arrested in April for being found with two carcasses of wild game meat, a kudu, and an oryx, without a permit in the Eros mountains, appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate Court on 17 May 2024.
Friday, 10 May 2024
2024. Five suspects arrested for rhino poaching in Gobabis.
THE Namibian police have reported that they have arrested five suspects in relation to an incident where a White Rhino bull was shot and killed, and its horns removed on a farm in the Gobabis district on May 4, 2024. According to Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the national spokesperson of the Namibian police, the arrested suspects are Michael Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), Victory Henghono (31), Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha (34), and Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka (31), and the matter was postponed to August 13, 2024.
Thursday, 9 May 2024
Steynberg F 2024. Geen borgtog vir 'renosterstropers' van Gobabis-bul.

Die beskuldigdes wat die afgelope naweek betrokke was by die stropery van ‘n witrenosterbul op 'n plaas in die Gobabis-distrik, bly in aanhouding. Volgens die hoofwoordvoerder van die Namibiese polisie, adjunk-kommissaris Kauna Shikwambi, het die beskuldigdes reeds in die landdroshowe van Gobabis en Katutura in Windhoek verskyn. Die name van die beskuldigdes soos verskaf deur Shikwambi is Micheal Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), die 31-jarige Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka, Victory Henghono (ook 31) en die 34-jarige Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha.

Thursday, 9 May 2024
Steynberg F 2024. No bail for 'rhino poachers' from Gobabis bull.

The suspects involved in the poaching of a white rhinoceros bull on a farm in the Gobabis district remain in custody. According to the spokesperson of the Namibian police, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the suspects have already appeared in the magistrate's courts of Gobabis and Katutura in Windhoek over the past weekend. The names of the suspects as provided by Shikwambi are Micheal Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), 31-year-old Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka, Victory Henghono (also 31), and 34-year-old Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha.

Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Steynberg F 2024. Renosterstropers slaan derde keer op plaas toe.

'n Karkas van 'n groot witrenosterbul is Sondagoggend op 'n plaas in die Gobabis-distrik ontdek wat

Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Dlamini M 2024. Namibian precious wildlife is under threat from criminals.

Namibia's precious wildlife is under threat from criminals, as illegal wildlife trade has become the world's fourth-largest form of transnational crime. This was said by Ana Beatriz Martins, the European Union's ambassador to Namibia, at a press debriefing for 'Operation Saving Wildlife through Multilateral Cooperation in Africa' (Sama) in Windhoek yesterday. She said dozens of wildlife species have been pushed ever closer to extinction by habitat loss and illegal trade.

Friday, 3 May 2024
Reiter C 2024. Neue Nashorn-Initiative.
Die Finanzierung der Nashorn-Schutzinitiativen ist eine fortdauernde Herausforderung. Der Save the Rhino Trust von Namibia hat kürzlich das neue "Rhino Guardianship Certificate" eingeführt und möchte so weitere Schutzmaßnahmen im Kampf gegen die Wilderei schaffen. Funding rhino conservation initiatives is an ongoing challenge. The Save the Rhino Trust of Namibia recently introduced the new "Rhino Guardianship Certificate" and would like to create further protective measures in the fight against poaching.
Friday, 3 May 2024
Steynberg F 2024. Suspected poachers killed in exchange of fire with cops in Etosha.

Two suspected poachers were shot to death in an exchange of fire with members of the anti-poaching unit in the Etosha National Park on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Scorpionbelt, Western Zone, when a patrol of the anti-poaching unit observed shoeprints that had entered the park through the park's fence. According to the police, the suspects' tracks were pursued for a distance of 60 km up to a water point where Rhinos mostly feed on small shrubs.

Thursday, 16 December 2021
2021. COVID-19 clears pathway for poachers.

In January 2021, Nigeria seized pangolin scales and tusks and bones from endangered species hidden in a container of furniture materials. The seized materials are used in traditional Chinese medicine despite having no medicinal value. Studies have suggested that pangolins, the most-smuggled animals in the world, may have been an intermediate host of the coronavirus that was discovered in an outdoor farmers market in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Customs officials said the contraband consisted of 162 sacks of pangolin scales and 57 sacks of mixed animal parts, including ivory and…

Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Smit E 2021. 21 nabbed for wildlife crimes.

Seven new wildlife crime cases have been reported recently, while 21 suspects were arrested. Seven suspects were arrested with regards to rhino poaching or trafficking cases and six were arrested for elephant poaching or trafficking. At Oshikango, two Namibians and three Angolan nationals were arrested on 5 December for being in the possession of a pangolin skin. In another incident at Okakarara, five Namibians were arrested on 5 December for conspiring to hunt a rhino.

Tuesday, 14 December 2021
2021. Polizei beschlagnahmt acht Stoßzähne.

Am vergangen Sonntag wurden zwei Verdächtige festgenommen, die im Oktober 2020 ein Nashorn gewildert haben sollen. Das geht aus einem Bericht des Umweltministeriums hervor. Den beiden Männern wird vorgeworfen, ein unter Artenschutz stehendes Nashorn gejagt, getötet sowie den Kadaver verkauft zu haben. Darüber hinaus wurden in der letzten Woche sechs weitere neue Fälle in Verbindung mit Wildtierkriminalität bekannt. Insgesamt 21 Personen wurden festgenommen. Darunter fallen eine Vielzahl an Personen, die im illegalen Besitz von Wildtierprodukten waren und damit Handel betrieben…

Tuesday, 14 December 2021
Ilunga P 2021. Congo-Kinshasa: U.S. imposes visa ban on 8 linked to wildlife trafficking.

The US on Monday announced visa restrictions on eight DR Congo nationals involved in wildlife trafficking, in the latest whip on supposed illegal revenues fuelling conflict in the central African nation. The eight people, believed to be connected business and political players in the country, are accused of having a hand in trafficking of ivory, pangolin scales and rhino horn; products of endangered species.

Tuesday, 14 December 2021
2021. 24 rhinos killed in South Africa since beginning of December.

The department of forestry, fisheries and the environment has confirmed that 24 rhinos carcasses have been found in South Africa since the beginning of December.

Sunday, 12 December 2021
Williams R 2021. Four suspects to appear in Ceres court for the poaching of five Inverdoorn rhinos.

Cape Town - Four suspects were arrested by police for the poaching of five rhinos at a private game reserve. Police spokesperson Wesley Twiggs said the four arrested suspects were expected to appear in Ceres Magistrate’s Court after they have been charged. Five rhinos were attacked by poachers at Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve just outside Cape Town last week. Four of the rhinos were killed while the fifth rhino survived a gunshot to the face.

Saturday, 11 December 2021
2021. SANParks warns of video of distressed rhino cow, shot and hacked by poachers.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) warned people on Saturday about a video circulating on social media depicting a "severely injured White Rhino cow", saying it was "distressing to watch". In a statement, SANParks said that its rhino dehorning team made the gruesome discovery of a badly mutilated female rhino in the South of the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Thursday. "According to the SANParks Veterinarian and the Section Ranger who attended to the rhino, it appeared as if the animal had been shot a few days prior to being found.

Thursday, 9 December 2021
2021. Rhino massacre at Inverdoorn in Western Cape  as festive season starts.

Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve - Searl Derman, owner of Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve, just outside of Cape Town in the Western Cape, South Africa, and his management and staff are left traumatised after four rhinos, (including one pregnant female) were found massacred last night (Wednesday 08 December 2021). At approximately 22h30 the 24 hour Anti-Poaching Unit raised the alarm as they found the horrific scene of four shot rhino while on their regular patrols.

Thursday, 9 December 2021
2021. 4 rhino killed in poaching incident at WC game reserve.

Four rhino have been killed at a game reserve just outside of Cape Town. Management at the Inverdoorn private game reserve said that an anti-poaching unit found the four rhino while on their regular patrols. One of the four was pregnant. A fifth rhino was wounded and is recovering.

Wednesday, 8 December 2021
2021. Bad news for poachers: Vietnam slaps rhino horn trader with longest ever jail term.

A rhino horn trader has been sentenced to 14 years in jail, the longest ever prison term a Vietnamese court has handed down for the crime, a local conservation group said on Wednesday. Vietnam is both a consumption hub and popular transit point for the multi-billion-dollar trade in animal parts. Authorities have long vowed to stem the flow of illegal wildlife crisis-crossing its borders, but experts have warned the black market persists thanks to weak law enforcement.

Saturday, 4 December 2021
Makanyanga D 2021. Chinese fugitive arrested in UAE.

One of the seven Chinese nationals who slipped out of the country while on bail after being arraigned on charges of money laundering and possession of more than 20 kilogrammes of rhino horns has been arrested by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in the United Arab Emirates after spending over two years on the run.

Thursday, 2 December 2021
Zenda C 2021. Political rivalries flare in Botswana and animals pay the price.

The continued refusal by the government of Botswana to allow game rangers to carry firearms, coupled with the country's secrecy on poaching statistics and other wildlife data, is baffling conservationists. On 25 September, as Botswana marked a belated World Rhino Day, former president Ian Khama - a renowned wildlife conservationist - took to his Facebook page to share his thoughts.

Thursday, 2 December 2021
2021. Interpol Op Thunder nabs wildlife criminals.

South Africa is no stranger to wildlife crime as shown in Operation Thunder, an Interpol-led effort against environmental crime in the broadest sense of the words. The worldwide enforcement operation against wildlife and timber crime co-ordinated by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) disrupted crime networks and saw hundreds of arrests internationally, the France-headquartered policing body said.

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